Sustaining element or feather for flying-machine wings



F. M. RILLEAU. SUSTAINING ELEMENT 0R FEATHER FOR FLYING MACHINE WlNGS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. 1921.

1,428,559, PatentedSept. 12,1922.

INVEN'TUREI ATTORNEYS.

Patented 1.2,

FRANCOIS M.

RILLEAU. 3F I TE'W YORK. N. Y.

SUSTAINING"ELEMENT OR FEATHER FOR FLYING-MACHINE WINGS.

Application filed March 2, 1921. Serial No. 449.150,

T 0 all whom may concern:

Be it known that l, Fmn oois M. RIL- LEAU, a citizen of France, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sustaining Flements or Feathers for Flying-lidachine Wings; and I do hereby declare the following to be fulhclear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to ,which appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying); drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon. which form a part of this specification.

Thepresent invention relates, generally,

to improvements in the construction of sus-- taining devices or. feathers for flying ma chine wings; and the invention has reference. more, particularly, to a novel construction of sustaining device or feather. aplurality of which are adapted, to he employed as elements in the construction of ri'inogs forflying' machines of thegeneral vkind and type shown and described in a prior. application for United States Letters Patent filed by me on or about July 12th, v1917, and bearing serial number 180,083.

The invention has for its principal object to. provide a sustaining element or feather comprising a concavo-convex main body portion terminating in a longitudinally extending' warped ortwisted resilient or spring-y tip portion.

The invention has for a further object to provide a novel construction of frame-work for supporting the fabric covering of the sustaining element or feather, and for retaining the same in the desired shape; and the invention also includes a novel means for reenforcing= the main body portion of the sustaining element or feather. 4

. Other objects of this invention. not at this time more particularly enumerated. will be clearly understood from the following de tailed description of the same.

With the various obiects of this invention in view, thesame consists, primarily, in ,the novel construction of sustaining element or feather for flying machine wings hereinafter set forth; and, the invention 0011-.

sists furthermore, in theg novel arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same,al.l of which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed. i The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying; drawings, in which i i Figure 1 is a front edge view or side elevation of the novel sustaining element or feather, made according to and embodying the principles of this invention; Figure 2 is a top or plan view of the'sa ne; Figure 3 is a. detaiftransverse section through the same. taken on line S---3 in said Figure .2, and drawn on an enlarged scale and Figure 5t is a front edge; view or side elevationcf the novel construction of frame-work of the sustaining element or feather, with the fabric removed therefrom. i i Similar-characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now'to saiddrawings, the reference character 1 indicates the complete sustaining; element or feather made according to and embodying the principles of the present invention, the. same comprising a frame-work consisting of apair of-longit k dinally extending stem-members 2,, spaced slightly apart, and slightly curving or howingoutwardly from tip to tipof thesustaining element or feather. Thegforward portions of said stemenieiubers, are bowed upwardly, as at 3 (see 4.}, while the outer or rearward portions curvedownwardly, as at 4- terininating in a slight upward trend or sweep toward the outer tip, as at 5 also see Figure 4:). Extending transversely across the upper sides of said stemineinbers 2, so as to be supported thereby, are a plurality of transverse top or uppercross ribsdthe same varying in length to provide the desired marginal contour or shape to the sustaining element or feather. Said upper cross ribsfi are preferably set obliquely, so that the same slant rearwardly from their forward ends, thus providing a better bracing support for the fabric carried by and stretched over the same, as will later be more particularly described. Said upper cross-ribs 6 are firmly secured to said stem-members 2 by any suitable means, but preferably by binding the same to the stem-members with ties of wire or similar means. The cross ribs 6 are generally upwardly bowed from end toend to provide for the generalconcavo-convex contour desire for the sustaining element or feather, and it will be noted Yes bowed contour. of the same.

that the degree of bowing of said cross-ribs varies according to its position, oeing deeper where the same are located at the intermediate portions of the main body of the sustaining element or feather, and diminishing in depth as they approach the ends of said main body, while becoming very shallow toward the rearward tip of the sustaining element or feather. Furthermore the cross-ribs 6 are so shaped and positioned relative to the stem-members 2, as to readily provide the desired warped or twisted shape or sweep of the sustaining element or feather toward its rearward or free tip. The reference character 7 indicates a plurality of bottom or lower cross-ribs, the same accord ing generally in shape with the shape of their fellow upper cross ribs. 6. The said lower cross ribs '7 are secured by their front ends to the front ends of said upper cross ribs 6 by lashings of wire or any other suitable fastening means. Said lower cross ribs 7 are unattached relative to the stemmembers 2, but merely pass beneath the same, and preferably spaced somewhat below the said stem-members 2. shown in Figures 3 and l. The rear ends of said lower cross-ribs T are preferably free for a limited amount of play relative to the rear ends of the upper cross-ribs 6, but are cou nected with the latter by flexible links 8 of wire, cord or other suitable material. The said stem-members 2, upper cross-ribs 6 and lower cross-ribs 7, above described, are preferably made of light wood, and are therefore yielding enough to give the sustaining elements or feathers the desired elasticity or resiliency, the flexible links 8 permitting the lower portions of the feather to approach the upper portions under the influence of air pressure.

The frame-work, constructed as-above described, is covered with a light sheet material or fabric 9, which extends over, and which is suitably secured to the ribs 6 and 7, the same being folded around the forward or front edge of the frame-work, while its respective rear edges are, preferably, separately secured to the rear ends of the re spective sets of upper and lower cross-ribs. so that the play of the said ribs relatuc to each other is not interfered with.

In order to stiffen or reenforce the concavo-convex main body portion of the sustaining element or feather, there is provlded a longitudinal bracing member 10. which is disposed to extend over the upper convex side or face of the sustaining element or feather, and which is shaped to conform to the longitudinally and upwardly This bracing member 10 is suitably secured to the framework by lashings 11, or by any other suit-- able fastening means. Said bracing member 10 crosses the pivotal point of said sustaining element or feather, and is provided at such pointwith a perforate hub portion 12 for mounting the said sustaining element or feather for desired pivotal movement upon the carrying trans erse bar (not shown) of the flying machine wing.

As will be understood, the novel sustaining elements or feathers are employed in groups of desired number to form a flying machine wing, all in the general way as shown and described in my aforesaid prior application for Letters Patent. It will be apparent, that when the same are properly mounted. in grouped relation, the reenforced concavo-convex main body portions of the feathers, provides a sustaining surface well adapted to support the weight of the flying machine, while the springy or resilient outer tip portions of the feathers having their rearward edges downwardly curved, warped or twisted to catch the wind or air pressure, serve to receive said pressure against the underside of the springy outer tip portions thereof, which therefor act as springs tend ing to automatically propel the flying machine forwards, all as described in my aforesaid application for Letters Patent.

Having thus described the present invention, I claim 1. A sustaining element or feather for flying machine wings comprising a covered frame-work providing a concavo-convex main body portion terminating in a springy curved and twisted outer tip portion, a longitudinal bracing member secured upon the upper convex side of said main body portion, and means for pivotally mounting said sustaining element or feather upon a support.

2. A sustaining element or feather for flying machine wings comprising a framework consisting of longitudinal stem-members and a plurality of upwardly bowed cross-ribs secured thereto at longitudinally spaced intervals, said stem-members and cross-ribs being shaped to provide a concavo-convex main body portion terminating in a springy curved and twisted outer tipportion, a covering of sheet material mounted upon and supported by said framework, a longitudinal bracing member secured upon the upper convex side of said main body portioinand means for pivotally inounting said sustaining element or feather upon a support. 7 I

3. A. sustaining element or feather for flying machine wings comprising a framework consisting of longitudinal stem-members, a plurality of upwardly bowed upper cross-ribs secured to said stem-members, a plurality of correspondingly upwardly bowed lower cross-ribs having their forward ends fixed to the forward ends of said upper cross-ribs and their rearward ends connected with the rearward ends of said upper crossribs for limited play relative thereto, said stem-members and cross-ribs being adapted to provide a concave-convex main body portion terminating in a springy curved and twisted outer tip portion, a covering of sheet material extending forwardly over said upper cross-ribs and turned to extend around the forward ends thereof and rearwardly over said lower cross-ribs, a longitudinal bracing member secured upon the upper convex side of said main body portion, and means for pivotally mounting said sustaining element or feather upon a support.

4%. A sustaining element or feather for flying machine wings comprising a covered tIrame-work providing a concavo-convex main body portion terminating in a longitudinally and rearwardly extending downwardly sloping springy outer tip-portion, the said tip-portion being transversely and downwardly curved from its forward edge toward its rearward. edge.

5. A sustaining element or feather for flying machine wings comprising a covered framework providing a concave-convex main body portion terminating in a longitudinally and rearwardly extending downwardly sloping springy outer tip-portion,

the said tip-portion being transversely and downwardly curved from its forward edge toward its rearward edge, a longitudinal bracing member secured upon the upper con vex side of said main body portion, and

means for pivotally mounting said sustaining element orfeather upon a support.

frame-work providing a concavo-convex main body portlon terminating in a longi tudinally and rearwardly extending downwardly sloping springy outer tip-portion, the said tlp-portion being transversely and downwardly curved from 1ts forward edge 0. A sustaining element or feather for flying machine wings comprislnga covered toward its rearward edge, and a longitudinal rigid bracing member secured upon the upper convex side of said main body portion, said bracing member having a vertical perforate hub-portion. for pivotally mounting said feather upon a support. 

